School of Sanctuary
Building a culture of welcome, safety and belonging
Our commitment:
Gordano is working towards the School of Sanctuary Award, building on our commitment to inclusion and belonging.
We want every member of our community to feel safe, welcomed, respected, known and valued, including refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
We support the City of Sanctuary vision and its values of inclusiveness, openness, participation, inspiration and integrity.
Why it matters at Gordano
Our School of Sanctuary journey builds on a strong culture of inclusion already embedded across the school.
In 2025, Gordano was recognised by Challenge Partners as an Area of Excellence for Inclusion, highlighting our warm and positive ethos, strong pastoral and SEND support, student leadership and sense of belonging.
Our school values underpin this work:
Dream Big – every young person can see a positive future.
Do Your Best – students feel safe and supported to learn and thrive.
Give Back – we value difference, develop empathy and contribute positively to our community.
Our priorities
As we work towards the award, we will:
- increase understanding of sanctuary, refugees and forced migration;
- strengthen our welcome and support for newly arrived students and families;
- embed inclusion, empathy and belonging across school life;
- celebrate the cultures, languages and experiences within our community;
- challenge prejudice and discrimination;
- develop student voice and leadership; and
- strengthen links with local organisations and the wider sanctuary network.
Learn. Embed. Share.
Learn – creating opportunities to understand sanctuary, forced migration and the experiences of refugees and people seeking safety.
Embed – making welcome, inclusion and belonging part of everyday school life.
Share – celebrating our progress, student voice, activities and partnerships with our community.
The Kindness Collective
Our Kindness Collective supports this wider culture of belonging through kindness, gratitude and connection.
With the message “Celebrating our people. Connecting our community.”, our student Kindness Crew helps create positive connections and gives young people an active role in shaping our school culture.
What's happening?
National Refugee Week
Opportunities to learn, reflect and celebrate the contributions of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
Gordano Culture Week
Celebrating the cultures, languages, identities and experiences represented across our community.
Student voice and leadership
Students will help shape our School of Sanctuary journey through projects, ideas and actions that promote welcome and inclusion.
Community partnerships
We will work with local organisations and seek opportunities to learn from people with lived experience of seeking sanctuary.
Follow our journey
As well as sharing updates on Facebook and via our existing communications such as Termly News, this page will grow as our work develops, sharing news, activities, student projects and examples of how we are creating a culture of welcome at Gordano.
Dream Big. Do Your Best. Give Back.
